Hints and tips on how to get the
most out of the performance.
Book 4
Acting tips
Tips on how to introduce the show to the group,
run workshops, explore the text, cast and organise
the show.
Before the show is introduced to the class it is very
important that some pre-production work is done
as there are words within the show that the
students will not be familiar with. These words are
listed in Book 1.
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Book 4: Tips on acting
Introducing and reading the play to the group
1. Before reading the play aloud in class the teacher should read through it at least twice while interpolating
the music.
2. Ensure you have sufficient copies of the script to go around the class. Ideally have one script per person or at
least one between two.
3. Sometimes a warm-up theatre game works well before reading the play just to get good levels of concentration
from the students and to help put them in the theatrical mood.
4. Read the play round a circle where possible. Everyone takes a speech in turn. It is important that everyone is
treated equally and given a fair audition/reading of the play. Longer speeches can be split on an ad hoc basis.
5. Avoid indicating possible casting; assumptions will be made if you make choices for this particular exercise –
even though you are likely to have some ideas about whom you want to play what. Dominant and quieter
individuals should be treated with complete equality. How much they have to read, and which parts, should be
a matter of chance. The overall concentration level is likely to be higher than if individuals can switch off for a
whole scene.
6. When listening to the children be mindful of the following:
– Who can lift the text from the page and make it his or her own?
– Which voices show an affinity with which words?
– Which voices seem to balance, or contrast with, others?
– Which speeches, and which sections of the play, reveal difficulties in interpretation?
– Which parts of the play do they particularly enjoy at this first reading? Which ones made them switch off?
Remember a good reader of the play may not necessarily be a good actor. Therefore do not cast from a reading but
after the workshop session.
7. It may be that the play is too long to read as a whole in one session. It may also happen that the children show a
desire to begin working on certain sections, and you need to be alert to the mood and the needs of the group to
make the best use of their enthusiasm.
8. It is useful however, to spend some time discussing their reactions to what they have read, what they feel about
the language of the play, the characters, the themes and the plot. This early discussion will begin to establish
ideas about the style of production, altering or reinforcing ideas which emerged during the play. You are also
likely to get some indication of which characters particular individuals are interested in and would like to work
on, which may help in casting decisions.
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Book 4: Tips on acting
Workshops
1. Now that the play, its themes, plot and characters are established in everyone’s mind, it is possible to take some
time working alongside the text, rather than allowing the text to dominate activities. Working on the
assumption that everyone has a reasonable knowledge of the text, you can isolate certain themes and characters
to place at the centre of this phase of the work.
2. Here are a few suggestions that may be useful:
– Use key theme words to trigger instant improvisation, singly, in pairs, and in small groups. (See Book 1.)
– Work on a developed improvisation using a situation or theme from the play.
– In groups of four or five, present a frozen picture of key moments from the play.
– Scene 7 The Forest – The chase through the trees. This scene is difficult to describe in the script, however it does
form the basis of a well-known game. This is an improvised chase through the forest where the trees assist
Valbrand in evading capture by the bugs (by such means as tripping up the bugs etc). The intention is for
Valbrand to find an easy pathway through the trees, making it difficult for the bugs to catch him. This should be
practised in a workshop session.
– Each person takes on a role and, working in twos and threes, places the characters in a cinema queue, a lift, on a
park bench, or waiting on a train.
– In a circle, re-tell the story of the play, each person contributing in turn.
3. These activities may reveal some new aspects of the play and possibilities for the production and will help bring
something of the class to the play. The opportunities for early exploration and discoveries are very useful. Two or
three sessions are quite adequate if the activities are not taking place alongside some work on the script.
Suggested Warm-Up Games
KNEE FIGHTS
Focus
Shape
Time
Energy
Low
Partners
One minute
High
1. Everyone finds a partner and stands opposite that partner in a space in the room.
2. All players put their hands on their knees: these are guarded knees.
3. All players take their hands off their knees: these are unguarded knees.
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Book 4: Tips on acting
4. When the session leader/teacher calls ‘GO’ everyone tries to grab their partner’s knees.
5. One point is scored for every touch on an unguarded knee.
6. First person to score 5 is the winner.
7. Any player who keeps guarding their knees for more than 30 seconds is out.
NOTE:
This is an excellent warm-up for all ages and also for all spaces, however small. It is also useful for
groups who are not wearing appropriate clothes for other warm-ups in which running around is
required. It does not matter if there are no winners; stop the game after a minute or less.
QUICK FEELINGS
Focus
Shape
Time
Energy
Low
Circle
3-5 minutes
High
1. Mark out a large cross on the floor (with chalk, shoes, chairs, etc).
2. Choose four feelings, such as ANGRY, HAPPY, SAD and FRIGHTENED. Each section formed by the cross represents
one of the feelings and should be marked accordingly (with chalk, coloured paper, etc.).
3. The players walk in a circle around the cross.
4. At a given signal from the session leader all the players stop.
5. When the players stop, each player must act out immediately the feelings indicated, each player responding to
the one he/she has stopped in.
6. No player may leave a section until the session leader signals that they may walk round again.
7. In the angry section no player may touch another player.
NOTE:
You can vary the game by indicating different categories in the sections, such as jobs, ages, times
of day and so on.
REHEARSAL NOTE:
The game can be played by actors in role: when a character stops in one of the sections
she/he voices the points in the play which arouse such feelings for the character.
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Workshops / Improvisational Games
PICTURE BOOK
Focus
Shape
Time
Energy
Shared high
Teams
10 – 20 minutes
Medium
1. Split the group into teams of four or five.
2. Each team chooses a famous fairy story.
3. The team prepares for group arrangements from the story and arranges themselves in a suitable ‘freeze’.
4. The teams present their stories to each other.
5. The session leader calls ‘Picture 1, Picture 2’, etc.
6. The other players guess which story it is.
TV COMMERCIALS
Focus
Shared high
Shape
Teams
Time
10 – 20 minutes
Energy
Medium
1. Split the group into teams of five or six.
2. Each team chooses a product to promote.
3. The teams have five minutes to create a commercial for their products.
4. The teams present their commercials.
5. The group discusses which product they would want to buy as a result of the commercials.
The above games have been taken from Christine Poulter, Playing The Game, 1987, Macmillan Press Ltd. Reproduced
with permission of Palgrave Macmillan.
Additional reading:
Anna Scher & Charles Verrall: 100+ Ideas for Drama, first published 1975, Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.
Anna Scher & Charles Verrall: Another 100+ Ideas for Drama, first published 1987, Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.
Christine Poulter: Playing The Game, first published in 1987, Macmillan Press Ltd.
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Exploring the text
1. If you take this approach, or one based on these ideas, as the basis of your production process, you will still not
have cast the play and there is still no need to do so, as the longer the group spends working together, in small
groups and individually, on all aspects of the play, the better they will know it and the easier they will find the
later stages of intensive work.
2. The exploration of the text need not be tiring – and you don’t want the students to get bored before you have
even begun – but it should range quite widely throughout the play, focusing on key scenes that vary in nature.
You may wish to take a fairly long scene and split it into smaller sections, giving each section to a small group to
work on, and then play them consecutively.
3. During this stage, as well as exploring the text and gathering ideas about playing, you will be observing how
individuals work together, how well they handle the demands of particular roles, and which combinations and
groups work together best. This knowledge will be invaluable to you when you come to cast the play.
Casting
By now you will have seen most of your potential cast in action dealing with different characters and sections of the
play, so any audition process will have taken place without any formality. You may still, however, be put in the
position of disappointing some people, who may have shown either openly or surreptitiously that they want to play
certain parts for which they are not suited, or which you feel that others can handle better. This is never easy to deal
with. Be kind. When casting, it’s worthwhile doing it all at once. If there is initial disappointment from some
students, they can deal with it together.
Early rehearsals, organisation and method
1. When the basic decisions have been made about the nature and style of production, the groundwork done on the
text, and the play cast, you will be beginning a more formal rehearsal process. Take into consideration school breaks,
important dates in the school’s calendar, and any inservice days which may interrupt your rehearsal schedule.
2. Try to rehearse at the same time every day as this helps to focus everyone, and avoids “When are we doing the
play Teacher?” syndrome. Students should be encouraged to work without a script as soon as realistically
possible. Holding a sheaf of papers inhibits movement, and some people will use a script to hide behind if they
are uncertain about getting to grips with the real acting. You need to be fairly strict about the ‘no script’ rule.
3. Script can be learnt as homework. It is very important to remind students that they must not only learn their
parts, but also their cue lines as well. As all plays must present with a ‘freshness’; don’t allow students to deliver
lines as if repeating a mantra. Lines must be meant and felt. Let this be your mantra.
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Movement on stage
1. For many students this will be their first time performing and many of them will not be familiar with certain
terminology of stage work.
It is important that the teacher explain to the group that ‘masking’, i.e. standing in front of another cast member
is not allowed. When on stage students should ask themselves: Am I standing in front of anyone, or is anyone
standing in front of me? When gesturing or pointing make sure actors use the arm or hand furthest away from
the audience.
2. There should be no ‘backs’ to the audience. Explain that to see and hear everything audiences require the actor to
be aware of their position on stage. Try not to have the actor speaking in profile.
3. Actors should move when the lines or feeling dictate. They should move ‘on the line’. Avoid moving cast
members when they have concluded their line. All movements on stage should appear natural and unforced.
4. Explain the positions on the stage. It is helpful when a teacher stands on the stage or acting area, and explains
with movement.
D.S.R.
DOWN STAGE RIGHT
U.S.L.
UP STAGE LEFT
U.S.
UP STAGE (away from the audience)
D.S.
DOWN STAGE (down to the audience)
This will provide you with a useful shorthand when moving students. Avoid using the U.S. area as it will be
harder to hear and see the students. Explain D.S. is where you want them to be.
5. On stage actors should not fidget. No extra movement of hands or feet. Sometimes younger actors have a
tendency to move their feet backwards and forwards when saying their lines. Explain to them that this is very
distracting for the audience. They will watch the ‘dancing feet’ rather than listen to the lines spoken.
Props and furniture
It is a good idea to use relevant props and furniture from day one. This helps the students immeasurably and gets
over the ‘walking into furniture’ syndrome. The actors can think about using the prop to highlight a line or speech,
and it can become an integral part of the play or character, used in a creative way.
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NOTES
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Book 4: Tips on acting